Down at the parlor
by Setbythesystem
Summary: The Cutie Mark Crusaders are sick of not getting their cutie marks so Scootaloo gets an idea to get tattoos. Written very much like a regular episode of the show.


Author's notes: While writing this I was thinking of how it would be like in a regular episode so please keep that in mind. Just think of how they'd put it with all the characters and such. This will probably never be an episode though, you know for the whole concept of the episode. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't even want to mention something like this. Well enjoy.

Other recent works:

Added to "Water works" a "Just my luck" fanfiction

"And the strings are playing" a "Clannad" fanfiction

"Attack of the cosmos" a "Web shows" fanfiction

"I can't believe that it didn't work! We've tried everything to get them!" Exclaiming this was none other than Apple Bloom. After having tried another failed project the three of them found themselves back at the club house brooding over how terrible their problems have become.

"I really thought that public protesting should have worked. All they did was stop to say how cute we were." They were always put off as younger fillies due to the fact that they still have yet to get a cutie mark but this was an all-time low. They were on the edge of just quitting this entire thing and winging it their entire lives.

"I can't think of anything that we've haven't done. I've got it!" Sweetie Belle jumped up on the table, "Yo Mama so old that she is the 116th element on the element chart." She looked over to her flank which still showed nothing. "Wait, maybe it doesn't prove that this is my special talent if I just do it once. Yo Mama so fat that when going to a movie she had to buy eleven tickets!" There was still nothing on her flank.

"Give it up, it's not working," Scootaloo stepped over to Sweetie Belle's board of ideas and wrote down yo Mama jokes on the failure list.

"What else do we have up there?"

"Not much and none of them can be done right now. Do you have any ideas?"

Sweetie Belle once again jumped up on the table, "We can be time lords!"

"How?"

Sweetie Belle began grunting in concentration while she attempted to conjure her magic. She collapsed shortly after when it failed.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Scootaloo walked over and started to examine the board again.

"It wouldn't be so bad if they'd just stop pushing us to get them. I swear to Celestia if we were to get them now they'd stop pushing us and we'd probably be able to get them a lot quicker without the stress." Sweetie Belle dramatically fell onto the table with her hooves spread in the air.

It was shortly after that Scootaloo spoke, "I think I know how we could do that."

The other two were following along behind Scootaloo constantly asking what they were doing and coming up with all the things that she could be leading them to. Scootaloo's face etched with the annoyance that complicated her at the moment.

"Is Rarity going to make us some kind of outfit to wear over our hides?"

"Are we going to get some kind of pet which attacks other ponies when they mention we don't have any cutie marks?"

"Ok, we're finally here." Scootaloo stood there while both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stared at the tattoo parlor.

"We're getting tattoos? Is that even legal?" Applebloom exclaimed.

"I know a pony who's willing to do it."

"But what happens when we actually do get our cutie mark? How can we tell?"

"We'll figure that out later." Scootaloo hopped up the stairs into the shop with both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom following hesitantly. The little fillies just stood at the entrance while a bunch of older ponies looked at them questionably. Scootaloo went along to the front where a pony stood. "Can I get that cake your wife baked for my mom?"

Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom seemed relieved over this. Apple Bloom spoke, "At first I really thought she was going through with it."

"Maybe she's trying to get a cutie mark for lying?"

The three fillies were led out to a shed out back behind the tattoo parlor. It really wasn't the nicest looking shed, a bit of trash left out for years but now it finally had its purpose. He led them in were to both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's horror Scootaloo was telling the truth, they were getting tattoos.

Scootaloo jumped up onto the table, "Ok, I'm ready."

Apple Bloom ran over to her, "Wait you're not actually going to do it?"

"Stop me."

The two fillies watched behind one another while Scootaloo bite into herself to bear the pain of getting the tattoo. Once it was done though it looked like a proper cutie mark.

"What is it?"

Scootaloo strutted over to them in pride, "It's a skateboard, what do you think it is?"

Sweetie Belle chirped, "But what does it mean your special talent is?"

"Skating, duh? What else do you think it could be?"

"Well Pinkies cutie marks balloons but her talent isn't specifically to balloons."

"Well I'll say mine is then. It's all my choice anyway." She went over to Sweetie Belle and pushed her forward, "Next one's up!"

"Wait! I'm not sure about this…" Sweetie Belle didn't move a space from where Scootaloo left her. She just sat down on the ground.

"Come on, it won't hurt in the end. Just the first part. Remember all those ponies who made fun of you?"

"Give me a bunny…"

Once Sweetie Belle had the bunny tattooed onto her flank there was one pony left to get one.

"It's your turn now!"

Apple Bloom didn't looked pleased over this, "Oh no, I'm not getting one. Not after the last time I faked getting a cutie mark."

Scootaloo pathetically flew to the door before Apple Bloom could leave, "Come on Apple Bloom it's not that bad."

"Yes it is. If I were to get one my sister will kill me." Apple Bloom pushed her aside and stepped out, "Just you wait till this all blows up on you."

Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle, "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

The next day when they turned up to school all the ponies were surprised. First off is that both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle left Apple Bloom many feet behind them and second is that they showed off cutie marks. The students crowded around the two fillies making it so that Apple Bloom couldn't get through, "Hey!"

"Hold on!" It was Diamond Tiara who began to speak, "Those can't be legit."

"Are too."

"If they are than why don't we go for a little swim?" She grabbed a bucket full of water in her mouth and threw it onto the two of them.

"Hey!" Neither of their "cutie marks" was washed off by this and left Diamond Tiara and her friend shocked.

"There is no way you actually got you got your cutie mark." She walked over to the two of them and began walking around them inspecting them. Both the two of them held their heads high for this. "Well then, there is only one way for you to prove that these are legit. You're going to have to show off your special talent."

Sweetie Belle looked down at her hooves, "Umm… Well…"

"Are you telling us that you don't know what they mean? Shouldn't every pony know what their cutie marks mean?"

"We didn't even notice when we first got them so we aren't sure."

"You can at least figure it out by deduction or something, couldn't you? Or are they just not real?"

"They are so real!" Sweetie Belle got up into her face, "It can't be that hard to find out what they are."

"Yeah, how did you figure out what yours meant?" Scootaloo walked around behind her.

"What does yours even mean, besides being snotty?"

"What is it to you about my cutie mark? The only thing that you need to know about it is that it's legit. I've had it for over a year so that is proof enough."

Her friend decided to chip in, "Yeah, same with mine."

"Why don't you just prove to us your cutie marks then? We'll give you a little bit of time to figure out what they mean and then by than you have to know or else they aren't real."

"Ok class it's time to sit down."

Apple Bloom walked over to the two of them, "I told you this wasn't a good idea. I don't know how you'll be able to fake it."

"It'll be one easy step don't worry. We'll find a way."

"But you're going to have to do it until you actually have your real cutie mark."

"Just watch us."

After school Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both went straight to the club house where they started going over a list of what the talents can possibly be. Both of them were lost on the entire thing.

"Apple Bloom might be right I don't have any idea how to pull this off. All the ideas I have are too complex and hard to pull off." Sweetie Belle rested her head on one hoof as she stared at the paper. Scootaloo though was still heavy at work.

"Scootaloo?" She didn't respond. "Do you have any idea how we can pull this off?"

"Well I'm starting to pull something together." She moved the paper over to Sweetie Belle who then smiled.

"Maybe this will work but we have to get the stuff for it."

They both went down to Fluttershy's house where they knocked on her door. "Fluttershy!"

"Yes, girls?"

Sweetie Belle began to speak, "Well we were wondering if…"

"Can you let us borrow Angel?"

"Yah! Borrow Angel!"

Fluttershy came fully out the door, "Why do you want Angel?"

"We just want to borrow him." Both of the fillies were wearing dresses that Rarity made them as a congratulatory present for getting their cutie marks so it's not like Fluttershy could notice anything really different.

"Umm… Ok." She flew over to Angel who was sleeping in his bed. "Angel I hope you are not upset but is it ok if you spend a little bit of time with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?" It would be easy to guess that Angel wasn't that pleased about the entire thing, but then again it could have been Spike.

"How long do you want to borrow him?"

"You know just for a couple of days or so." This was really when Angel looked a bit shocked, but the two fillies moved him aside.

"Ok, but you're going to have to take care of him." Fluttershy flew over to a cabinet where they saw tons of documents encased in there. She took a very thick stack of papers out and handed them over to the girls. "You're going to have to make sure you follow this very accordingly or else Angel will get very grumpy."

Fluttershy than flew over to a pile of random pet care products and carried about half of them over to the two fillies, "This is all you're going to need if you want to take care of him."

"Ok, we'll make sure to take good care of him."

The two fillies began to walk off when Scootaloo whispered over to Sweetie Belle, "I guess it's time to get my stuff ready."

It was later that day when Sweetie Belle went home that the entire thing seemed a bit impossible. Rarity walked right over to Sweetie Belle when she came home. Her first response was to question about Angel, "Why do you have Angel?"

"Fluttershy has to pet sit an animal for a friend and her hooves are a bit full at the moment and since I got this cutie mark she asked me to pet sit Angel."

"Well that's very kind of you, but more importantly I have very exciting news for you!"

"Really!?"

"Tomorrow I'm going to throw you and Scootaloo a party to celebrate getting your cutie marks!"

"What!? It can't be tomorrow I need to do something tomorrow!" Rarity failed to hear any of this and was trotting along her way.

"This is so exciting getting to throw my little sister this party for getting her cutie mark!"

Sweetie Belle just sat on the ground in shock of what was to come. How can they pull this off with the party going on?

It was early the next day when the two fillies were in the club house that they began talking over this.

"I don't know how we can pull this off when all of your stuff has to be done outside." Sweetie Belle was passing around.

"If they know my cutie mark is fake they will definitely think yours is as well."

At that moment Apple Bloom walked in, "Are you two still trying to cover for your fake cutie marks?"

"Yeah…"

"And is there something wrong with your plan?"

"Yeah…"

"I thought so. I'll be waiting for you when you get caught." She left the other two sitting by themselves. Angel sat in the corner clearly upset over not being taken care of properly.

Suddenly Sweetie Belle spoke, "There is only one thing I guess we can do we're going to have to move your entire thing to the house."

"We're going to have to go now than if we want any possible chance of it working." The fillies set off towards Sweetie Belle's house.

Once they got there it was completely dark. Scootaloo bumped into Sweetie Belle, "Oww. Be careful!"

"I think we can get the stuff now." It was when Scootaloo said that, that the lights turned on and they found an entire bunch of ponies around them.

Rarity walked up, "I just couldn't wait to start the party so I decided to do it now!"

"But we need to do something right now."

"None sense. This is your party so you have to be here. I even had Pinkie add in cute little bunny balloons!"

"Bunny balloons!?" Sweetie Belle just remembered about Angel who they both left back at the club house. She turned around and opened the door to go find Angel. She didn't have to look though since he was standing right in the door way.

"Ummm… Hey Angel. Are we still going through with this?" He gave her a obvious look of anger which made her back off.

Diamond Tiara walked into the entrance with her friend right behind Angel. "Hey if it's a bunny shouldn't you be able to care for it? That's what your cutie mark is, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. That's why Angel is here because he got a bit grumpy and I'm going to go cheer him up."

"Well do it then."

"Umm… Ok. Uh, do you want some food?" She handed him over a cupcake which he swatted out of her hoof. "Oh, I guess he's not hungry. Maybe you want to be pet a little?"

This went much like the other with him rejecting the offer. Sweetie Belle looked down in shame as all the ponies around her stared.

"Well let's see about Scootaloo." The two ponies walked over to her, "So what's your special talent?"

"I need to go get my skateboard." She ran passed all the ponies and went out the door. It was a short time later that she came in with her skateboard which she rode for only a short time until she crashed.

"Well it looks like we have to fake flanks here. How did you get them then?"

Rarity walked up to the two. "Yes, tell us how you got them."

The two fillies looked down in shame, "They're tattoos."

Rarity looked on in horror. "TATTOOS!" She collapsed dramatically behind herself.

Later on Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were walking out of the same hut that they were taken to when they got the tattoos. They were holding their flanks in pain with both of them showing bare flanks.

Rarity walked over, "Now girls can you tell me what you learned today?"

Sweetie Belle began, "I learned that you should never lie. Lies always get caught since they are never true and you should never risk ruining the respect you get from all your fellow ponies."

Scootaloo chipped in, "Unless you can hide it." Right after that Sweetie Belle elbowed her.

"Well that's very good how about we go and get you some ice cream?"

"We'd much rather just get some ice for our flanks."

"Yeah that would be better." Rarity smiled, she was pretty sure they wouldn't forget this for a long time.


End file.
